Gray Heart
by MDBasementLlama
Summary: While on a walk, Ichimatsu stumbles across a mother cat and her kits. He has been taking care of them for a week now. When he grows up, Ichimatsu wants to study animals and life. So he has decided to study these cats as a sort of head start. His first lesson about biology is the most important one. And the cruelest. Story three in the Ripped To Shreds Series.
1. Lesson 0

The air was crisp with the start of autumn. School would be starting again soon. The matsuno brothers would be going into to sixth grade. Leaves littered the ground. A small boy sat on a pile of leaves in the back of an alleyway. His dark gaze was fixed on a cat nursing its kittens.

Ichimatsu watched the mother intently. About a week ago he had been taking a walk when he heard her meowing loudly. She had been giving birth. Ever since then Ichimatsu had come to check on them everyday. There were four kittens. The biggest was a gray male. He had the same fur as his mother only darker. Then there was a speckled gray and orange female. And a white male. The smallest had orange-yellow fur.

Ichimatsu was worried about this one. The small male seemed to have something wrong with his eyes. He would constantly stumble around, running into things. Ichimatsu's thoughts were inturupted by his own mother's call.

"Ichimatsu,dear. It's dinner time."

Reluctantly, Ichimatsu stood up and walked away, taking one last glimpse of the group of kittens. He ran down the street a little to his house. His older rbothers, Osomatsu and Karamatsu were on the steps. Osomatsu smiled as his brother approached. "You're still spying on those cats? Come on, she had her babies like, almost two weeks ago. I think they can take care of themselves."

Ichimatsu ignored him and sat on the steps. Karamatsu chuckled. "You're going to make a great biologist one day." He said encouragingly. Ichimatsu beamed brightly.

Ever since he was little, Ichimatsu had wanted to be a biologist. He loved animals and all life on Earth. The young boy found it fascinating. Ichimatsu saw the cats as a wonderful opportunity to practice his studies. After all, it was best to start early so he'd have experience later right?

The three bothers conversation was cut short by a voice from the doorway. "I love it when you boys get along." Matsuyo, their mother, cooed. "I have to say, giving birth to you brother was the happiest and most painful moment of my life." Her eyes became lost in memories before being smacked away as a frying pan flew into the back of her head. "Ow!" She whirled around and stomped back inside. "JYushimatsu! Choromatsu! Stop this! Those aren't toys."

Osomatsu stood up and followed Matsuyo inside. "Hey! Stop having fun with out me!"

Karamatsu and Ichimatsu exchange a glance before hurrying after the eldest brother.

The door shut. Although laughter could still be heard from inside. Along with the furious roar of a mother and father trying to calm their preteen sons.

 **This is the third story in a series I'm doing. If you haven't already, please make sure to check out my other stories "Misunderstood Isolation" and "Pretty In Pink." All of these stories are doing to tie together later. Just wait.**

 **Don't forget to review~**


	2. Take Notes

The Matsuno brothers walked down the street to their home. Today had been the first day of school. Ichimatsu ran ahead of his brothers as their house came into view. He turned sharply into the alleyway with the cats. There, he found the family of cats relaxing peacefully in the warm autumn sun. The mother was laying on a dumpster, grooming her fur as her kits tumbled and played on the ground. Ichimatsu smiled and sat down. He took a notebook from his backpack and scribbled down a few brief sentences.

"What's that, Ichi?" Osomatsu had stuck up behind his brother, reading over his shoulder. Ichimatsu turned his head to look at his brother. He smiled, glad that Osomatsu had asked.

"I'm keeping notes of the cats. I want to collect data of their growth."

"God, you sound like a scientist already." Osomatsu commented, rubbing his noise. He walked away and rejoined his other brothers who were already at the house.

A few days past. Every day was the same thing. Ichimatsu would walk back home from school, sit in the alleyway, take notes on the kittens, then do his homework. As he was now.

Ichimatsu sat leaning on the wall of the alleyway, slowly doing his homework. He kept getting distracted by the cats. He could here his brothers playing in the front yard, already done with their homework. Ichimatsu sighed, unable to consentrate. He leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes. Then jump when he felt a wet, rough, leather-like cloth damped his hand. He pulled his hand away and looked down.

The small orange kitten had licked his hand. Ichimatsu smiled and picked up his notebook. He wrote down a quick sentence then put it down and held his hand out to the kitten.

The kitten licked his hand again as if to say "I like you. You can pet me."

So Ichimatsu did. He laid his hand on the kitten's head. The kitten purred and laid down next to the young boy. This only made Ichimatsu happier.

Hours past. Ichimatsu sat up, startled. He had apparently fallen asleep and had been awoken by his mother's call. "Uh..coming Mom!" He yelled, then stood up slowly, making sure not to desturb the kitten. His eyes widened in surprise when he noticed that the whole family of cats had gathered around him. The small kitten had climbed onto his lap, while the female had somehome made it's way onto his head. The other kittens were under his legs. So was the mother cat. Ichimatsu set the small kitten and female kitten beside their brothers and walked away.

He climbed the steps onto his porch and turned around quickly. A quiet meow had come from behind him. He looked down. The little kitten had followed him!

ichimatsu knelt down. "Go back to your mother, please." He said carefully and slowly. The kitten didn't move. It stared back at him with small eyes. Ichimatsu smiled. "Go on. Go! Back to the alley." He pleaded. The kitten still didn't budge.

Ichimatsu sighed and picked the kitten up. It began purring again. Ichimatsu hurried back to the alleyway and deposited the small cat beside his mother. "Stay."

This time, the kitten didn't move. It stared at Ichimatsu as he walked back to his house.

Ichimatsu didn't sleep well that night. He didn't know why, but leaving the kitten in the alleyway didn't feel right to him. After a while, he couldn't take it anymore. He carefully pulled his way out of the pile of brothers. Then stood up and slipped his sandels on. He Quietly put his hoodie on and walked outside onto the street.

He heard a small, quiet meow come from the alley as he approached. A drowsy figure stepped out and lumbered towards him. Ichimatsu recognized It as the small kitten. He picked it up and turned to begin walking back to his house. "Have you been up all night waiting for me?" Ichimatsu whispered as he walked back into the house. The kitten was already fast asleep in his arms.

Ichimatsu, quiet as a mouse, wriggled his way back into bed. He fell asleep, protectively holding the kitten to his chest.

 **I will either have one or two more chapters after this. Not sure how long the next chapter will be so I might break it into two.**


	3. Why Live If You Die Anyway?

The next morning was so cold, not a single brother could will himself to get up from their futons. Ichimatsu lay curled into a protective ball around the soft little kitten.

Just then, Matsuyo slide the door open roughly. "Boys! get up NOW! You're going to be late for school!"

Grumbling filled the room. Ichimatsu sniffed and pulled the blanket over his head, too tired to notice the kitten wriggle away from him.

"Get up you lazy sextuplets! You think you're tired? _I_ gave birth to you!" Matsuyo yelled, pulling the blankets away one by one.

Ichimatsu groaned as chilled air hit him. He sat up and looked around the room. The others were rising as well. Choromatsu and Karamastu had stood up and were making their reluctant way towards the bathroom. Osomatsu was still curled up on his futon, trying to use his pillow as a blanket. Jyushimatsu sat up and yawned while Todo started putting on his cloths under the blanket.

The fourth brother stood up and stretched, then followed Choromatsu and Karamatsu into the bathroom to get ready for school.

Almost half an hour ready all the brothers, tired and grouchy, were ready to go out the door. Ichimatsu picked up his bag and lazily swung it over his shoulder then stepped out into the freezing morning air. He didn't have time to check on the cats. He told himself he would as soon as school let out.

About halfway to school, each brother stopped dead. A faint meowing sound was coming from somewhere. They all looked around. The meowing came again, this time louder. Five sets of eyes turned to Ichimatsu.

"Uh...bro? What's that?" Osomatsu questioned, stepping closer.

Ichimatsu looked around, concerned. "I don't know!" The meowing came again. Ichimatsu swung off his bag and knelt down to unzip it. As he did, a little orange head popped out. Ichimatsu fell back in a surprise and let out a little yelp.

The brothers gathered around the bag and gazed at the small kitten. "He must have snuck in your bag while we were getting dressed. How'd even get in the house?" Choromatsu stated in his usually matter-of-fact tone.

Ichimatsu wasn't really willing to tell them his little nighttime adventure. He quickly scooped up the kitten and turned back towards their house. "I'll meet you guys there. I need to get him back home." Without another word he ran back the way they'd came, followed by cries from his brothers to come back.

Surprising, ichimatsu was very fast and energetic. He could get the kitten home then catch up with his brothers in no time. But as he neared the alleyway, a wave of dread hung over him. His paced slowed gradually to a walk. The kitten was silent in his arms, making the dread worse.

Something was wrong. And as he got closer to the alley, his fear and dread got worse. He stopped all together. It was quiet. Way to quiet from the home of an alley cat with four little kittens. He couldn't here a single thing.

Ichimatsu but one foot forward. Then the other. He almost didn't want to look around the corner. Ever so slowly, he poked his head around the corner. Then gasped in horror.

The mother cat and kittens were there, yes. Torn apart. Ichimatsu stepped forward, tighting his grip on the kitten, as if trying to block it's gaze from it's dead family.

The kitten's mother was laying on her side, her stomach and throat slashed open. Blood matted her fur. Beside her were two of her kittens, both with blood covering their slim bodies. Closer to a dumpster was the big gray male. He had large claw marks across his face.

Ichimatsu moved toward him, then heard a deep growling sound. He looked behind the dumpster and saw a large brown tom-cat.

Suddenly, the reality of the situation hit him. it was cold last night. The tom-cat needed a warm place to sleep. He killed the mother cat and her kittens for their home. He looked down at the small orange kitten in his arms. He felt tears prick at his eyes. If he hadn't let this kitten sleep with him, it would be dead.

Something inside Ichimatsu broke. After all this time, this is it? He took his notepad from his bag and crumbled it up. It all meant _nothing._

He had failed. The cat family was dead. All except one. ichimatsu went to school that day with half-lidded eyes and a frown.

 **I'm so mean. And that is it. Done with number three. Which brother do you want me to right about next? Also, if you haven't yet, I suggest reading my other two Osomatsu-san stories. They all kinda go together.**


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